Reigniting the Flame
by steepedinshadows419
Summary: An offhand remark by Sherloque makes Iris determined to prove him wrong; hers and Barry's sex life isn't dead. Is it? Barry/Iris. One-shot.


**A/N:** I haven't watched 5x12-5x17 yet, but I felt the need for a fic like this even before I started hearing rumblings of how little WA interact even in those. I hope you enjoy it!

*****Many thanks to **sendtherain** for beta'ing.

*****I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

She knew she was being paranoid, but she couldn't help it. Ever since Sherloque had offhandedly - or not - mentioned that she and Barry were so preoccupied with Nora that they'd stopped making time for each other, Iris hadn't been able to stop thinking about it.

She couldn't remember the last time she and Barry had had sex. A couple weeks - months, maybe? That was very unlike them, even when things were chaotic. Especially given Barry's usually very high libido and the fact that most of the time he couldn't take his eyes off her when they were alone, and she'd catch him sneaking peeks even when they weren't.

She hadn't caught him in a while.

Not that this meant he didn't find her attractive, of course. She knew it didn't. They still exchanged I love you's and quick pecks when parting ways or before bed. But damn, had it really been _months_ since they'd had sex?

It was true they'd fully embraced being parents and loved every minute of it, even the hard times, but they'd been married a year and a half, not thirty years. They should still be all over each other, especially when Nora wasn't even present half the time. She was also a full-grown adult, not a child that needed constant looking after.

The more Iris thought about it, the more she worried that her husband would turn down any sexual advances she made simply because he probably hadn't realized they were drifting apart as a couple any more than she had.

It was ridiculous, but not out of the question - and honestly, she didn't know if she could take the blow. Still, when she walked into their bedroom, saw him just getting settled into their bed, she licked her lips and seriously considered her next move.

"You coming to bed?" He asked with a yawn.

"Actually…" she hesitated. "I was thinking of taking a shower."

"Okay," he responded, snuggling into the pillow. "I'll leave the light on so you can grab your clothes."

Strike one, even if he didn't know it. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"You're really tired, huh?"

"Mm. It was a long day."

"Most of our days are," she pointed out.

"Yep."

He was fading fast. In a moment he'd be snoring, and she'd feel like an idiot waking him up for sex when he clearly couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to finish a conversation with her.

She sighed. It had been a long day. Maybe she should just let this go until a less long day arrived.

_Coward_.

She rolled her eyes at the accusatory voice in her head and settled for giving it a half-hearted attempt. Then she wouldn't be too disappointed if his answer was a snore because she hadn't tried all that hard.

"Did you…want to join me?" She asked.

He didn't respond right away, but even when he did, the disappointment she'd told herself wouldn't hurt that much hit her like a ton of bricks.

"With what?" He asked, his voice drowsy with sleep.

She blew the hair out of her face and grabbed her pjs quickly.

"Nevermind," she muttered under her breath and closed the bathroom door a little too loudly behind her.

A few seconds passed, and Barry Allen was almost asleep, almost there. But the words he'd exchanged with Iris in recent memory circulated on repeat in his mind until finally they hit their target.

His eyes flashed open, suddenly not tired in the least. And without even bothering to knock or turn the knob, Barry phased through the bathroom door.

Iris looked up at her reflection in the mirror, finally brave enough to see if tears had surfaced in her eyes. What she didn't expect to see was Barry Allen standing behind her, a strikingly hungry look in his eyes.

"Barry! What are you doing in here? I thought you were asleep!"

He approached her, closing the distance between them. He set his hands on her shoulders, caressing her gently before pushing the straps of her tank top down her arms.

Iris could only watch, mesmerized, as he pulled her shirt down to her hips and unlatched her lacy strapless bra. Then he cupped her breasts as his mouth latched onto her neck, kissing and sucking her sweet spot. She closed her eyes from the sensation and was almost purring when he pressed into her behind, making his heavy arousal evident through the fabric of his pants.

"_Barry_."

Her hand reached back and clenched in his hair.

"You should probably turn the water on," he mumbled against her skin.

"Hmm?" She asked, only distantly aware of anything beyond the feel of his hands on her breasts and his lips on her neck.

He smiled slowly, causing a slight tickle to ricochet as chills down her arms.

"If we're going to take a shower together, you're going to have to turn on the water."

Her eyes opened suddenly, and she turned around to face him. That ridiculous smirk was back on his face, but it had been a while since she'd seen it, so she made no attempt to smack it off.

"I can't believe I worried."

"About what?"

She shook her head. "It's not important." She draped her arms over his shoulders so that her hands linked around his neck. "I'm just really glad you're here."

"My drop-dead gorgeous wife wants me to shower with her. Sex is implied. Why wouldn't I be here in a heartbeat?"

"Because you were almost asleep?"

"Iri-" He stopped and frowned. "What happened?"

"Nothing," she insisted, but she wasn't fooling him. So she huffed and rolled her eyes. "Sherloque merely pointed out you and I weren't spending much time together as a couple and implied that I would prove him right by trying to reboot our sex life only for you to turn me down."

"It hasn't been that long since we-" He paused. "Oh, God."

"Mhmm."

"It hasn't really been-"

"Two months."

"_What_?" He nearly squeaked.

"I know. I couldn't believe it either."

"But how did he-"

"He deduced it somehow, I don't know." She shrugged. "God, I hate it when he's right."

"He's not right," he insisted, squeezing her hips to get her attention. "Not about all of it." She met his gaze curiously. "It'll be a cold day in hell the day I turn you down."

She felt heat warm her cheeks.

"Iris, have you seen you? I'd be an idiot to not jump at the chance to have you in my arms like this."

She smiled broadly.

"Glad to hear it."

"Don't ever doubt that," he said firmly. "I've got a wedding ring on my finger, and it's not just for show."

"Okay." Her heart swelled, giddiness swamping all her senses. She'd been a fool to expect him to act any other way.

"I'm serious, Iris."

The gravity to his tone made her feel guilty.

"I'm sorry, Barry." She stood up on her tiptoes to press a light kiss to his lips. "I don't know what I was thinking."

He cupped her face and gave her a more lingering kiss.

"You weren't," he informed her. "But that's all right. You're not the true culprit here. Tomorrow I'm gonna give Sherloque a piece of my mind. Making you think-"

She put her fingers over his lips, surprising him.

"Enough about Sherloque tonight, okay?"

He relaxed and smiled against her. He pulled her hand down and kissed her soundly.

"Sounds like a great idea."

They walked backwards till they reached the shower, stripping as they went. When they finally stood beneath the blazing hot water and melted into each other, the reason they'd ended up there suddenly no longer mattered.

In the aftermath though, they both knew they were going to make a serious effort not to slack off in this department again.

"I can't believe we-" Barry started, shaking his head as they dried off afterwards.

"What?" She asked, amused.

"Two months? Really?"

She nodded, equally appalled. "Really."

"Never again, Iris. Even a week is pushing it."

She laughed and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Never again," she agreed, slipping out of their shared bathroom into their bedroom.

Never was an extreme they probably wouldn't be able to stick to, but it happened several more times that week, and when a month-long dry spell hit, Barry locked the two of them in their bedroom for a full weekend - speeding to and from the kitchen when they needed to eat - to make up for lost time.


End file.
